Game board device



June 21, 1960 w. R. LETBETTER GAME BOARD DEVICE Filed Sept. 12, 1958 FIG. .2.

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2,941,807 GAME BOARD DEVICE Willie R. Letbetter, 2622 Werlein St., Houston, Tex. Filed Sept. 12, 1958, Ser. No. 760,741

4 Claims. (Cl. 273-118) This invention relates to amusement apparatus, and more particularly to a game board device wherein playing pieces in the form of spherical balls are propelled i along the surface of the game board toward scoring apertures, and wherein barrier devices are provided on the game board, affecting the ability of a player to propel a playing piece along the board toward a scoring aperture.

A main object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved game board device which is simple in construction, which affords a high degree of entertainment by the characteristics of the barrier elements thereof, and which includes means for adjusting the capability of the barrier elements to be moved, in accordance with the judgment of the players involved.

A further object of the invention is to provide a game board device having movable barrier elements to impede the progress of barrier elements being of inexpensive and sturdy congame pieces on the game board, the

States atent struction and being provided with means to adjust their 7 characteristics so that a player may arrange said barrier elements in accordance with his particular skill or judgment.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and claims, and from the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a game board device constructed in accordance with the presentinvention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged top plan view of a fragmentary portion of the table member of the game board device of Figure 1, showing a swingable barrier member.

Figure 3 is a vertical cross sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a vertical cross sectional view taken on the line 44 of Figure 2.

Referring to the drawings, 11 designates a game board device according to the present invention, said device comprising a horizontal table member 12 suitably supported on a plurality of legs 13, said boardhaving an upstanding peripheral wall 51, and being formed with scoring apertures 14 which serve as objectives for spherical game pieces 15, each of the players involved in using the device being provided with a mallet 16 which is employed to propel a corresponding spherical game piece 15 toward a scoring aperture 14 or toward other significant areas on the board.

Pairs of upstanding post members 17 define goals therebetween, and four dots 50 are provided around each aperture 14, defining safety zones around the apertures. A player not only tries for the goals in his progress around the course but he tries for the apertures within the safety zones. If he fails to place his ball in an aperture, it may stop within the surrounding safety zone, which protects5his ball and saves it from being hit and played, in accordance with the rules of the game, by an opponent.

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The table member is provided with the upstanding post members 17 defining goals, in accordance with certain rules of the game played on the board, and is further provided with barrier members comprising generally triangular arms 18 pivoted to the table member 12 for horizontal swinging movement and being at times engageable with upstanding post members 19 to define obstacles past which the game pieces 15 must be propelled. Thus, as shown in Figure l, the uppermost arm 18 is in a position engaging its associated upstanding post member 19 whereby it blocks the passage of a game piece from the left end of the board toward the right end of the board, as viewed in Figure l, but allows the player at the right end of the board to propel his game piece 15 past the barrier thus defined if the game piece first strikes the upstanding post member 19 at the proper position to simultaneously strike the tapered end of arm 18 engagingsaid post member 19 to cause the arm 18 to swing counterclockwise, as viewed in Figure l, wherebythe spherical game piece 15 will be allowed to be deflected from the post member 19 and travel toward the adjacent scor counterclockwise as a result of being struck at the junction defined between the tapered end of the arm and the v upstanding post member 19.

Each barrier arm 18 offers a certain amount of resistance to a ball that is being propelled by a mallet through the goal area defined by the barrier arm audits. associated post member 19.

At the start of each game the barrier arms are set to allow passage of .the ball through said goal area. If the side edge of the barrier arm is not struck properly, the ball will not pass through, yet the barrier arm may swing completely around and block the player who is attempting to shoot through the goal area.

A barrier arm offers the exact amount of resistance to force the ball against the side of the associated post member 19, causing the ball to deflect toward the next desired shooting area or aperture. If properly hit, the barrier arm swings around and comes to rest against the opposite his oponent follows in the same course of play. A I

blocked goal area calls for at around the course of play, tional shots. Therefore it least four additional shots and usually six to eight addiis most important that a player develop skill in blocking. According to the rules of the game, a barrier arm offers each player the chance for a double shot, for which the player gets two additional shots. i

In accordance with the present invention, means are provided on the rotatable arms 18 to allow the players provide de to adjust the characteristics of said arms to sired balance and response to impact.

Referring to Figures 2, 3 and 4, each arm 18 comprises a triangular body of suitable material, such as hard wood,

or the like, said body being pivotally connected at its 1 12, as by a metal sleeve member 20 secured in the base portion of the triangular larger end portion to the table member vertical pivot bolt 21 extending through a arm 18, said sleeve member 20 being supported at; its;, bottom end on a spacer washer 22 surrounding the-bolt 21. Thus, as 1s clearly shown in Figure 4,, theaspa cer 22-supports the arm 18 in a position elevated abovethe 18 to spin must proceed through this 7 and each team, or the first player top surface covering 23' of the table member 12, whereby the arm 18 is free to swing around the vertical axis defined by the pivot bolt 21. v

Thearm 1 8 is provided with a plurality of recesses 23 in which are deposited respective quantities of weighting material, such as 1am or the like, shown" at 24, to' provide the arm 13 with a substantial moment of inertia. As shown in Figure 2, the respective masses of weighting material 24 are distributed around the pivot bolt 21 in a manner to give the arm 18 a substantial moment of inertia with respect to the vertical axis defined by pivot bolt 21. I

Designated at 25 is a block member which is pivotally mounted on-the arm 18, as by a pivot bolt 26, at a point located slightly beyond the radial distance of the center of gravity of the-arm 18 to the pivot bolt 21. As shown in Figure 2, the block member 25 is pivoted eccentrically to the arm'18'so' that it is freely rotatable thereon, being spaced from the top surface of arm 18 by suitable spacing washers 27 surrounding the pivot bolt 26. The block member 25 may have any suitable shape, being illustrated, by way of example, as of rectangular shape. Secured in one side of the block member 25 and projecting horizontally therefrom is a threaded rod member 28 on which are threadedly engaged a pair of weight members 2% and 30, said weight members being adjustable along the threaded rod member 28 and being mutually engageable to securely lock them in adjusted positions on the threaded rod member 28, as illustrated in Figure 2. Designated at 30' is another threaded rod member which is secured in an end of the block member 25, projecting horizontally therefrom,'and projecting at right angles to the rod member 28, as shown. A further weight member 31 is threadedly engaged on the rod member 30, and said rod member 30' is provided with a lock nut 32 which may be tightened against the weight member 31 to lock said weight member in a desired adjusted position on the threaded rod member 30'.

As will be readily apparent, the weight elements 29, 30 and 31 may be adjusted to positions wherein the block member 25 will respond in a desired manner to impact applied to the side surface 33 of arm 18 by a spherical playing piece 15 when said playing piece simultaneously strikes the side surface 33 and the upstanding post member 19, in the manner above described. Thus, by adjustment of the weight members 29, 3t and 31, a player may provide a desired response characteristic tothe arm 18, in accordance with the judgment and skill of the player. Since the object is to cause the arm 18'to swing completely around its pivot bolt 21 so that the tapered end' thereof will come torest against the upstanding post member 19, responsive to the passage of the playing piece-15, it will be readily apparent that a' player must exercise a considerable degree of judgment in properly setting the positions of the weight members 29, 3t and 31,

It will be understood that each of the barrier members' defined by the arms 18 and their cooperating post members 19 may be adjusted in accordance with the judgment of an associated player, so that each individual has an opportunity to show his judgment as well as his skill in arranging his associated arm 18 so that he can not only propel his playing piece 15 past the arm but also set up the arm'so that it will block the passage of the playing piece of an opponent.

While a specific embodiment of an improved game board apparatus has been disclosed in the foregoing description, it will he understood that various modifications within the spirit of the invention may occur to those skilled inthe" art. Thereforeit is intended that no limitations be placedon' the invention except as defined by the scope of the appended claims.

What'is claimed is:

1: In a game board, a table" member formed with d scoring apertures, upstanding post members on said table member, respective arms pivoted to said table member adjacent certain of the post members and having end portions engageable with the post members adjacent thereto to define barriers with respect to a game piece on the board, and weight members pivoted eccentrically on the arms for free rotation on vertical axes parallel to and spaced from the pivotal axes of the arms, whereby the weight members have two degrees of freedom of rotary movement and the reaction of the barriers to contact by a game piece is variable because of the multiple degrees of freedom of rotary movement of the weight members.

2. In a game board, a table member formed with scoring apertures, upstanding post members on said table member, respective arms pivoted to said table member adjacent certain of the post members and having end portions engageable with the post members adjacent thereto to define barriers with respect to a game piece on the board, block members eccentrically pivoted on said arms, and weight members adjustably secured on said block members at locations spaced from the pivotal axes of said block members, said block members being freely rotatable on said arms on vertical axes parallel to and spaced from the pivotal axes of the arms, whereby the inertia of the barriers maybe varied in accordance with the setting of the weight members and whereby the reaction of the barriers to contact by a game piece varies in accordance with the setting of the weight members, the weight members having two degrees of freedom of rotary movement and said reaction being further variable because of the multiple degrees of freedom of rotary movement of the weight members. g

3.111 a game board of the character described, an upstanding post member, an arm pivoted to the board for rotation on a vertical axis spaced from said post member, said arm'havinga free end portion engageable with said post member, a block member eccentrically pivoted on the intermediate portion of said arm for free rotation on an axis parallel to and spaced from the axis of rotation of said arm, a horizontally extending rod member projecting from said block member, and a weight member adjustably mounted on said rod member, whereby the inertia of the arm may be varied in accordance with the setting of the weightmember and whereby the reaction of the arm to contact by a game piece varies in accordance with the setting of the weight member, the weight member having two degrees of freedom of rotary movement and said reaction being further variable because of the multiple degrees of freedom of rotary movement of the weight member.

4. In a game board of the character described, an upstanding postmember, an arm pivoted to the board for rotation on a vertical axis spaced from said postmember, said arm having a free end portion engageablewith said post member, a block member eccentrically pivoted on the intermediate portion of said arm for free rotation on an axis parallel to and spaced from the axis of rotation of said arm, a plurality of horizontal'rod members projecting from said block member in horizontal directions perpendicular to each other, andweight members adjustably mounted on the respective rod members, whereby the inertia of the arm may be varied ina'ccordance with the setting of the Weight'members' and whereby the reaction of the arm to contact by a'game piece varies in accordanc'e'with the setting of the'weight members,

the Weight members having two degrees'of freedom of Iotarymovement'and said reaction being further variable because of the multiple degrees of freedom of rotary movement of the weight members.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,408,317 Updegrave Feb. 28 1922 Anderson Oct. 30,1936 

